In Brief

Kerala Police humbles IOB
KOTTAYAM: Hosts Kerala Police humbled Tamil Nadu champions Indian Overseas Bank one-nil in the opening match of the second division National Football League that commenced on Sunday.

In a dull and listless match striker B Edison netted the all-important goal in the 30th minute collecting a ball cleared by rival defender Kanthasamy in the goal-mouth area.

Double for Maharashtra
UDHAGAMANDALAM: Heavy overnight and early morning rains rendered the course for the fifth Federation Cup Cross Country Championship here a nerve-wracking test of strength and stamina. The most accomplished and experienced cross country runners were slipping and sliding out of control, across the course.

Dasarath Tigga and Sharada Gawande, both from Maharashtra, won their maiden titles, beating the seasoned Army and West Bengal runners respectively.

RESULTS
Men (12 kms): Dasarath Tigga (Mah) 39:26.6 secs, Sesh Mani (Army), Chinnappa (Army); (4 kms): Ridmial Singh (Army), R Suresh (Army), Sanjay Gond (Bih); Boys (8 kms): Ajith Singh (MP), R Yellapa (Kar), Joga Singh (UP).
Women (8 kms): Sharada Gawande (Mah), Reena Das (WB), Kankana Nath (WB); 4 kms: Molly Biju (Ker), Madhuri Gurnule (Mah), KP Suresh (CRPF); Girls (6 kms): Renuka Hede (Kar), Preeja Sreedharan (Ker), Aslomia Debi (Man).

Juniors for Europe
KOCHI: A six-member Indian junior badminton team has left to participate in the Dutch and German Open events, in the first week of March.
Squad: Abhishek Bakshi, A Prithvi, Pallav Deka, Trupti Murgunde, Tanumoy Mandi (A-I) and V Diju (Kerala).

Assam upstage Services
NEW DELHI: Assam bagged the 15th Sub-junior National Boxing Championships as their fighters took home eleven medals including five golds. Select members of the Assam team will participate at a training-cum- tournament stint in Germany at the end of the year.

A close second were the once invincible team from Services who piled up 34 points. Assam too had 34 points but won because of more gold medals.

Live operations at RCTC suspended
CALCUTTA: Live racing operations at Calcutta has been suspended till further notice owing to agitation by a Workers’ Union of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC). The Wills Turf Invitation Cup Weekend Races, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, were cancelled.

Ashwani slams drug culture
NEW DELHI: Senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ashwani Kumar has alleged that “most of the countries” figuring in the Olympic medal tally were involved in “manufacturing athletes” using banned drugs.

Mr Kumar, former senior vice-president of the IOC, made a sensational disclosure that millions were being spent by these countries to ensure that the drug intake was not detected in dope test. He was of the view that the drug menace was catching up among Indian sportspersons too.

Titles for Kaptan, Amudha
VISAKHAPATNAM: Kaptan Singh of Services and C Amudha of Tamil Nadu won the men and women titles respectively in the ninth Senior National Triathlon Championship on Sunday.

RESULTS
Men: Kaptan Singh (Services) 1:53.40; TR Haridharan (TN) 1:57.15; C Pughalendhi (TN).
Women: C Amudha (TN) 2:17.29; Susan Sangeet Singh (TN) 2:21.04; V Shenbagavalli (TN).

Punjab, Kerala in final
KOZHIKODE: Defending champions Punjab quelled a spirited Manipur challenge to win 20-19 in the semifinals of the Vythiri Resort National Women’s Handball Championship. Punjab take on last year’s runners-up Kerala in the final on Monday. The hosts tamed a listless Maharashtra 31-14 in the other semifinal.

Results (semis): Punjab 20 (Gurpreet Purewal 13, Harpreet Kaur 4, Harjinder Kaur 2) bt Manipur 19 (Kamala Devi 7, Dama Devi 6, Sandhya Rani 3, Binita Devi 2); Kerala 31 (Usha Nandini 10, M R Mini 6, Sheeba Joseph 4, Deepa 4) bt Maharashtra 14 (Kalyani Pande 2, Vandana 2, Ashwini 2, Mukta Deshmukh 2).

Binny may be made MLC
BANGALORE: Former Test cricketer Roger Binny is to be shortly inducted as Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in Karnataka’s House of Elders. Binny, the hero of India’s World Cup triumph in 1983, will represent the Anglo-Indian community. A formal announcement is expected to be made shortly.